#Commentary of Vladimir Bidyovka on Ukrainian laws adopted in framework of Minsk process

07.08.2017

In autumn, the validity period of the Ukrainian laws that were adopted within the framework of the Minsk process expires. One of them is the current law “On the special order of local self-government in certain regions of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions” of September 19, 2014.

The first article states that for three years a special order of local self-government is introduced in these regions. The operation of all other norms was blocked by Pyotr Poroshenko, who on March 17, 2015, signed a law on introducing changes that provide amendments for the operation of articles 2-9 since the election and acquisition of powers of local governments in elections under Ukrainian law. Any attempts to discuss the election on our part in the negotiation process in Minsk were blocked by the Ukrainian party. Even the statements of European representatives on the need to hold elections in the Donbass were met with aggression, as it happened with the German ambassador to Ukraine Ernst Reichel. And the first article of the law was not de facto executed. So the validity period of an absolutely not working law expires.

In my opinion, in order to force the Ukrainian party to actually implement these laws and consistently implement the Minsk agreements, political will is needed, which, unfortunately, the Ukrainian leadership lacks. Perhaps, France and Germany, which are pretty fed up with the antics of the official Kiev, will be able to push Ukraine. I remember a lot of statements by Western politicians that the transport blockade imposed by Ukraine contradicts the Minsk agreements; they also mentioned the need to renew social payments, pensions and so on. But for now all this is just words that are very different from the real state of affairs. When the cup of endurance of the West overflows is a complicated question, but it will happen for sure. And we, on our part, will try to do our best for the well-being and security of our citizens, regardless of Ukraine’s actions.